{"id":6567,"date":"2012-11-12T04:39:18","date_gmt":"2012-11-12T11:39:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=6567"},"modified":"2026-01-30T15:00:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T21:00:12","slug":"loggerhead-shrike-in-winter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/11\/12\/loggerhead-shrike-in-winter\/","title":{"rendered":"Loggerhead Shrike in Winter"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"LoggerheadLoggerhead Shrike on a snowy November day – Nikon D300, f6.3, 1\/500, ISO 400, +1.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

This Loggerhead Shrike was one of the few birds I photographed yesterday on Antelope Island before the Prairie Falcon with a Northern Shoveler as prey<\/span><\/a> that I posted yesterday. The weather on the radar didn’t look bad before heading to the island in the morning but it was. Bad I mean.<\/p>\n

Snow fell heavily at times and the light was low, I could see Rough-legged and Red-tailed Hawks taking shelter in some of the distant trees. I didn’t see or hear Horned Larks or Chukars and they are birds I am used to seeing year round on the island.<\/p>\n

When I spotted this Loggerhead Shrike<\/span><\/a> perched on a bush along the road I thought that my images of it might be the only decent images I would bring home.<\/p>\n

The background of this image is composed of water at the bottom, the middle white layer is snow on a distant dike near the marina, and the touch of blue at the top was actually a bit of blue sky that was visible to the north. I also liked the tiny water droplet under the bill of the shrike.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to view more of my Loggerhead Shrike photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This Loggerhead Shrike was one of the few birds I photographed yesterday on Antelope Island before the Prairie Falcon with a Northern Shoveler as prey that I posted yesterday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":167804,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[511,27,247,26],"tags":[4004,4171,4066,156,4104,3906,3907,4050,373],"class_list":["post-6567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-avian","category-loggerhead-shrikes","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-lanius-ludovicianus","tag-loggerhead-shrike","tag-low-light-2","tag-perched","tag-shrike","tag-shrikes","tag-snow","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/loggerhead-shrike-mia-mcpherson-8040.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-1HV","jetpack_sharing_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":101743,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/04\/23\/loggerhead-shrike-population-decline-concerns\/","url_meta":{"origin":6567,"position":0},"title":"Loggerhead Shrike Population Decline Concerns","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 23, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"About two weeks ago I found an adult Loggerhead Shrike perched on a lichen covered rock in northern Utah a good distance from the road that I was on.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Loggerhead Shrike perched on a lichen covered rock, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/loggerhead-shrike-adult-lichen-rocks-mia-mcpherson-6340.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/loggerhead-shrike-adult-lichen-rocks-mia-mcpherson-6340.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/loggerhead-shrike-adult-lichen-rocks-mia-mcpherson-6340.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/loggerhead-shrike-adult-lichen-rocks-mia-mcpherson-6340.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":109638,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/01\/16\/winter-loggerhead-shrike\/","url_meta":{"origin":6567,"position":1},"title":"Winter Loggerhead Shrike: A Species In Decline","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 16, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Due to extended gray, cloudy weather and not getting out into the field I dug into my archives and today I am sharing a photo of a winter Loggerhead Shrike.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Loggerhead Shrike in winter, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/loggerhead-shrike-winter-mia-mcpherson-9820.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/loggerhead-shrike-winter-mia-mcpherson-9820.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/loggerhead-shrike-winter-mia-mcpherson-9820.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/loggerhead-shrike-winter-mia-mcpherson-9820.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14509,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/03\/06\/loggerhead-shrikes-are-calling-on-antelope-island\/","url_meta":{"origin":6567,"position":2},"title":"Loggerhead Shrikes Are Calling On Antelope Island","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 6, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Last year about this time I wrote a post complaining about Loggerhead Shrikes being MIA but this year I don't have that complaint because I am seeing and hearing these \"Butcherbirds\" on Antelope Island.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Back view of a Loggerhead Shrike juvenile, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/loggerhead-shrike-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-2563.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/loggerhead-shrike-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-2563.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/loggerhead-shrike-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-2563.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/loggerhead-shrike-juvenile-mia-mcpherson-2563.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6622,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/11\/21\/at-the-edge-of-a-storm\/","url_meta":{"origin":6567,"position":3},"title":"At the Edge of a Storm","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 21, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I mentioned that there had been low light, falling snow and that the weather conditions before photographing the Loggerhead Shrike and Prairie Falcon weren't great.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Snow storm approaching Antelope Island State Park in Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/antelope-island-snow-storm-mia-mcpherson-3546.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/antelope-island-snow-storm-mia-mcpherson-3546.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/antelope-island-snow-storm-mia-mcpherson-3546.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/antelope-island-snow-storm-mia-mcpherson-3546.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1741,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2011\/01\/02\/northern-loggerhead-shrikes\/","url_meta":{"origin":6567,"position":4},"title":"Northern & Loggerhead Shrikes","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 2, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Today was a good day, I finally took some images of a Northern Shrike (Lanius excubitor) that weren't taken from too far away.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Immature Northern Shrike on a cold Utah day, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/northern-shrike-utah-mia-mcpherson-0402.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/northern-shrike-utah-mia-mcpherson-0402.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/northern-shrike-utah-mia-mcpherson-0402.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7908,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/03\/21\/loggerhead-shrikes-they-are-mia\/","url_meta":{"origin":6567,"position":5},"title":"Loggerhead Shrikes – They Are MIA","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 21, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm used to seeing Loggerhead Shrikes all year round here in northern Utah but they have been MIA for quite some time.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State 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